Berthold Goldschmidt

Berthold Goldschmidt (b. Hamburg, January 18, 1903; d. London, October 17, 1996) was a German composer who spent most of his life in England. The suppression of his work by Nazi Germany, as well as the disdain with which many Modernist critics elsewhere dismissed his "anachronistic" lyricism, stranded the composer in the wilderness for many years before he was given a revival in his final decade.

Life

Goldschmidt's musical career began in earnest during the heyday of the Weimar Republic in Germany. While studying philosophy at the University of Hamburg, he was encouraged by the Italian composer Ferruccio Busoni to write music. In 1922, Goldschmidt entered the Berlin Hochschule and joined Franz Schreker's composition class, where his fellow pupils included Ernst Krenek, Alois Hába, Felix Petryek, and Jascha Horenstein. He also studied conducting, played freelance for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 1923, coached the choir for the Berlin premiere of Arnold Schoenberg's "Gurrelieder". In 1925, Goldschmidt achieved his first major success with his Passacaglia, Op. 4, which earned him the prestigious Mendelssohn Prize. Hailed as one of the brightest hopes of a generation of young composers, Goldschmidt reached the premature climax of his career with the premiere of his opera "Der gewaltige Hahnrei" in Mannheim in 1932.

This triumph happened on the eve of the Nazi takeover of Germany, which quickly destroyed Goldschmidt's livelihood. Like many Jewish composers (and other composers considered subversive of the Germanic purity of the Third Reich), Goldschmidt had his work condemned as "degenerate music" by the regime. There was no place in German musical life for Goldschmidt since performances of his work were banned and he was barred from conducting orchestras. Goldschmidt resorted to earning a living by giving piano lessons, before finally emigrating to England in 1935.

During World War II, Goldschmidt worked for the BBC and served as the Music Director of its German Service in 1944-47. While taking jobs in conducting, Goldschmidt also composed works such as the Ciaccona Sinfonica, concertos for violin, cello, and clarinet, and the opera "Beatrice Cenci". The English attitude towards Goldschmidt's music was generally indifferent. Even though "Beatrice Cenci" won first prize in the 1951 Festival of Britain opera competition, Covent Garden refused to mount a production. Neglected by the musical establishment, Goldschmidt decided to abandon original composition in 1958. For the next six years, he collaborated with Deryck Cooke on producing a performing edition of Gustav Mahler's Tenth Symphony. On 13 August 1964, at the Proms, Goldschmidt conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of the Cooke realization.

The last years of Goldschmidt's life witnessed a renewed interest in the composers of so-called "degenerate music." This revival led to performances of his work in the United States and Germany, new recordings, and the recovery of a number of lost manuscripts. Goldschmidt resumed composing in 1982 with the Clarinet Quartet and penned his final work, the "Deux nocturnes", just before his death at the age of 93. Champions of his work include the conductors Simon Rattle and Charles Dutoit, the violinist Chantal Juillet, the Mandelring string quartet, and the record companies Largo and Decca.

Works

Operas

* "Der gewaltige Hahnrei" op. 14 (1929-30). A musical tragi-comedy in three acts.
* "Beatrice Cenci" (1949-50). Opera in three acts.

Orchestral works

* Passacaglia op. 4 (1925)
* Overture: "The Comedy of Errors" (1925/28)
* Suite op. 5 (1927)
* Partita op. 9 (1927)
* "Der gewaltige Hahnrei": Suite op. 14a (1933)
* "Marche Militaire" op. 20 (1932) for orchestra or wind band (later incorporated into "Chronica")
* Ciaccona Sinfonica (1936)
* "Chronica" (1938/58/86)
* Polish Dance Suite (1939-40)
* Greek Suite (1940-41)
* "Awake, the voice commands" (1947) - Bach's chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", transcribed for orchestra
* Violin Concerto (1952/55)
* Cello Concerto (1953)
* Clarinet Concerto (1953-54)
* Intrada (1985) for orchestra or wind band (later incorporated into "Chronica")
* "Rondeau 'Rue du Rocher"' for violin and orchestra (1994-95)

Chamber works

* String Quartet No.1 op. 8 (1925-26)
* String Quartet No.2 (1936)
* Carols for string trio (1948)
* Clarinet Quartet (1982-83)
* Piano Trio (1985)
* String Quartet No.3 (1988-89)
* Berceuse for violin and viola (1990)
* "Retrospectrum" for string trio (1991)
* Fantasy for oboe, cello and harp (1991)
* Capriccio for solo violin (1991-92)
* String Quartet No.4 (1992)
* "Dialogue with Cordelia" for clarinet and cello (1993)
* "Encore, une meditation agitée" for violin and piano (1993)
* "Rondeau 'Rue du Rocher"' for violin and piano (1994-95)

Vocal works
* Two Morgenstern Songs op. 27 for voice and piano or string trio (1933 arr.1992)
* Three Songs op. 24 for coloratura soprano and piano (1933-34)
* Two Psalms op. 34 for high voice and string orchestra (1935)
* "Der Verflossene". Cabaret Song for voice and piano (1942)
* Beatrice's Song for soprano and piano (1949)
* "Time" for voice and piano (1943)
* "Nicodemus, he was black" for unaccompanied voice (1948)
* "The Noble Little Soldier's Wife" for baritone and xylophone (1948)
* "Clouds" for voice and piano or orchestra (1950)
* "The Old Ships" for voice and piano (1952)
* Mediterranean Songs for tenor and orchestra (1957-58)
* "Les petits adieux" for baritone and orchestra (1994)
* "Deux nocturnes" for soprano and orchestra (1995-96)

Choral works
* "Letzte Kapitel" op. 15 (1930-31) for speaker, chorus, percussion and piano
* "Belsatzar" (1985) for unaccompanied chorus

Piano works
* Piano Sonata op. 10 (1926)
* Capriccio op. 11 (1927)
* "Marche Militaire" op. 20 (1932)
* Variations on a Palestine Shepherd's Song op. 32 (1934)
* "Little Legend" (1923/57)
* "From the Ballet" (1938/57)
* Scherzo (1922/58)

Principal publisher: Boosey & Hawkes

External links

Biographies from:
* [http://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/composer/composer_main.asp?composerid=2697 Boosey and Hawkes] , publisher of many of Goldschmidt's works
* [http://www.classical-composers.org/cgi-bin/ccd.cgi?comp=goldschmidt Classical Composers Database]
* [http://www.sonyclassical.com/artists/goldschmidt/bio.html Sony Classical]
* [http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/030115-NL-goldschmidt.html "Stirrings of a Lost Composer" by Norman Lebrecht]

References

* Oxford Dictionary of National Biography